Supplementary Materials
I. Course syllabus
II. Views of the Nature of Science Survey
III. Examples of students’ survey responses related to nature of science concepts central to the
interdisciplinary course
IV. Interview Questions for Students (semi-structured)
V. Examples of student interview responses recorded after the course was complete
I. Course syllabus
Multiscale modeling and biological motion
• Day 1: Introduction & patterns across scales
• Day 2: Self-similarity around us & torn plastic sheets experiment
• Day 3: Fractals
• Day 4: Diffusion-limited aggregation & self-similar structures
• Day 5: Report & discussion on self-similar structures
• Day 6: Report & discussion on self-similar structures (continued). Other examples of
multiscale phenomena. Begin corn starch experiment.
• Day 7: Dimensional analysis, scalings & dimensionless numbers
• Day 8: Treadmill experiment and report
• Day 9: Scalings & dimensionless numbers (continued). Continue corn starch experiment.
• Day 10: Biological scaling (tree sizes)
• Day 11: Biological Scaling (continued). Finish corn starch experiment.
• Day 12: Scalings & dimensionless numbers (continued)
• Day 13: Falling ball experiment
• Day 14: Falling ball experiment (continued)
• Day 15: Discussion of falling ball experiment. Begin random walks & diffusion at the
microscopic level.
• Day 16: Brownian motion experiment
• Day 17: Discussion of Brownian motion experiment
• Day 18: Diffusion at the macroscopic level & melting wax experiment
• Day 19: Discussion of melting wax experiment
• Day 20: Reaction-diffusion equations and pattern-forming systems
Protein folding
• Days 21 – 24: foldit
• Days 25 – 28: molecular dynamics simulations of protein folding
II. Views of the Nature of Science Survey (Lederman, Abd-El-Khalick, Bell, & Schwartz, 2002)
1. What, in your view, is science? What makes science (or a scientific discipline such as physics, biology, etc.) different from
other disciplines of inquiry (e.g., religion, philosophy)?
2. What is an experiment?
3. Does the development of scientific knowledge require experiments?
If yes, explain why. Give an example to defend your position.
If no, explain why. Give an example to defend your position.
4. After scientists have developed a scientific theory (e.g., atomic theory, evolution theory), does the theory ever change?
If you believe that scientific theories do not change, explain why. Defend your answer with examples.
If you believe that scientific theories do change: (a) Explain why theories change; (b) Explain why we bother to learn
scientific theories. Defend your answer with examples.
5. Is there a difference between a scientific theory and a scientific law? Illustrate your answer with an example.
6. Science textbooks often represent the atom as a central nucleus composed of protons (positively charged particles) and
neutrons (neutral particles) with electrons (negatively charged particles) orbiting the nucleus. How certain are scientists about
the structure of the atom? What specific evidence do you think scientists used to determine what an atom looks like?
7. Science textbooks often define a species as a group of organisms that share similar characteristics and can interbreed with one
another to produce fertile offspring. How certain are scientists about their characterization of what a species is? What specific
evidence do you think scientists used to determine what a species is?
8. It is believed that about 65 million years ago the dinosaurs became extinct. Of the hypothesis formulated by scientists to
explain the extinction, two enjoy wide support. The first, formulated by one group of scientists, suggests that a huge meteorite
hit the earth 65 million years ago and led to a series of events that caused the extinction. The second hypothesis, formulated by
another group of scientists, suggests that massive and violent volcanic eruptions were responsible for the extinction. How are
these different conclusions possible if scientists in both groups have access to and use the same set of data to derive their
conclusions?
9. Some claim that science is infused with social and cultural values. That is, science reflects the social and political values,
philosophical assumptions, and intellectual norms of the culture in which it is practiced. Others claim that science is universal.
That is, science transcends national and cultural boundaries and is not affected by social, political, and philosophical values,
and intellectual norms of the culture in which it is practiced.
If you believe that science reflects social and cultural values, explain why. Defend your answer with examples.
If you believe that science is universal, explain why. Defend your answer with examples.
10. Scientists perform experiments/investigations when trying to find answers to the questions they put forth. Do scientists use
their creativity and imagination during their investigations?
If yes, then at which stages of the investigations do you believe scientists use their imagination and creativity: planning and
design, data collection, after data collection? Please explain why scientists use imagination and creativity. Provide examples
if appropriate.
If you believe that scientists do not use imagination and creativity, please explain why. Provide examples if appropriate.
Each survey was coded for each of the Nature of Science Aspects below as holding mostly naïve responses, mostly informed
responses, or a mixture of naïve and informed responses. The table below gives a breakdown of how each response was coded on the
pre and post surveys.
NOS Aspect
Description
naïve responses
Mixture of naïve and
informed responses
Informed responses
Interdisciplinary
science responses
Myth of Scientific
Method - pre
Description of the
process(es) scientists use
to generate knowledge
•
1
•
6
•
1
•
•
1
•
6
•
2
•
•
3
•
5
•
2
•
Empirical NOS
post
•
2
•
5
•
2
•
General structure and
aim of experiments
Pre
General structure and
aim of experiments
post
Validity of
observationally based
theories and
disciplines
Pre
•
2
•
6
•
3
•
•
1
•
6
•
3
•
•
6
•
3
•
2
•
•
5
•
3
•
2
•
•
1
•
1
•
9
•
•
1
•
•
9
•
•
10
•
Myth of Scientific
Method – post
Empirical NOS
pre
Validity of
observationally based
theories and
disciplines
Post
Tentative NOS pre
What science is, what
scientific knowledge
consists of. More
specifically, the nature
and role of observation.
Whether data obtained by
observation of natural
events (rather than
controlled manipulation of
objects) are scientifically
valid.
Whether/how scientific
theories change
Tentative NOS post
Theories and Laws
Pre
Difference between
scientific theories and
laws.
1
•
•
1
Theories and Laws
post
Inference and
theoretical entities
Pre
Inference and
theoretical entities
post
Theory-Laden NOS
pre
General description of
theories and their roles.
Validity of indirect
evidence, how theories
are tested and modified.
Relationship between
observation and theory,
prior experience,
background, etc.
•
9
•
1
•
•
•
2
•
4
•
5
•
•
2
•
1
•
5
•
•
2
•
6
•
1
•
•
4
•
This code is really about
individuals having different
perspectives (based on
their training, background,
etc.) that tend to get
expressed through
different interpretation of
results, decisions about
what data to collect, even
decisions about what to
study in the first place.
•
Theory-Laden NOS
post
Social and Cultural
Embeddedness of
Science
Pre
Social and Cultural
Embeddedness of
Science
post
Creative and
Imaginative NOS
Pre
Creative and
Imaginative NOS
Post
Relationship between
science and society
Role of creativity and
imagination in science
•
•
3
•
7
•
1
•
•
2
•
5
•
1
•
•
•
3
•
8
•
•
•
2
•
6
•
III. Examples of students’ survey responses related to nature of science concepts central to
the interdisciplinary course
Concept: General structure and aim of experiments and the nature and role of observation.
Naïve Response: “An experiment is something that can be done with a variety of different
outcomes. The outcomes can be different due to a number of things such as time, force and
many other things. [The development of scientific knowledge does require experiments.] This
is because to me science is based on facts, and sometimes we may need to prove these facts,
thus an experiment is needed to show that the desired outcome is true or false.”
Informed Response: “An experiment is a method of obtaining evidence to support a claim made
by a scientist. Experiments are meant to be means to answer questions posed by scientists.
Experiments are repeatable scientific means that lead to a better understanding of an area.
Usually experiments consist of tangible use of substances, however they can also be performed
computationally. Data obtained from an experiment should support a scientific theory about
the world. Experiments must also be conducted in a controlled environment so that their data
is not contaminated or compromised by other contributing factors… The development of
scientific knowledge does not always require an experiment, scientific knowledge can be
obtained without them. For example, the discovery of a new species of plant or animal is
considered a development, or increase of scientific knowledge. This additional knowledge does
not require experiments of any sort, but rather the exploration of one who can recognize new
species of plant or animal.”
Concept: Difference between theories and laws
Naïve Response: “A law is like the law of gravity it is one idea that has been proven many times.
A scientific theory is more of a model of what we think might be happening based on
information we have.”
Informed Response : No example from this group of students.
Concept: Relationship between science and society
Naïve Response: “I personally think that science is very universal because science has no
language except its own. Science can be done every were in the world and the results of the
same experiment will be the same. Although science should not be affected by social, political
and philosophical values in a few cases they are but in general the majority of scientist keep
their work and beliefs separate in order for it not affect their results. Today science
collaborations occur everywhere in the world and between people from completely different
backgrounds and beliefs.”
Informed Response: “Often science does reflect political values. The reason for this is simple.
The government funds scientific research, and they only fund research that matches specific
political agendas. If each branch of science were equally funded then science would be
universal because the actual science itself does not choose sides. Instead the people funding
scientists choose sides, and choose what will be researched as it fits with their own itineraries.
For example, in spite of the fact that parasites kill more people worldwide, breast cancer gets
more funding because it is a hot topic. There are many examples of this happening.”
Concept: Role of creativity and imagination in science
Naïve Response: None in the sample
Informed Response: “Creativity is employed in all phases of scientific investigation. All three can
be seen in a particle accelerator experiment. Creativity is required to figure out how to use
magnets to accelerate a charged particle to huge speeds and collide it with another particle.
Creativity is required to conceive of the gas-filled chamber that will allow you to collect data on
the result of the collision, and creativity is required to look at those results and draw
conclusions about what they suggest about the makeup of the particles collided.”
Example of an “interdisciplinary science” survey response
“to me science is the is process of thinking and the methods of solving the questions that we
face everyday whether it be in science, math, physics or just in life in general. I think that
science as a field of study can be made up of biology, physics, chemistry and more…”
**Note, there were very few responses on the survey that expressed “interdisciplinary
science”, this is not surprising because the survey did not specifically ask about this.
IV. Interview Questions for Students (semi-structured)
1. Why did you originally sign up for the class?
a. Did you have a preconception of what you wanted to do?
b. What did you hope to learn or hope to do?
2. Did you get out of the class what you wanted to get out of the class?
3. Were you well prepared for the class?
4. In light of the course, how would you define interdisciplinary science?
5. What is the thing that you remember the best about the first (second, third, fourth)
module?
6. Was there anything about (each) module that helped you think about integrating math and
science?
7. What did you think about the different types of activities? (experiments, journals, problem
sets, etc.)
8. Is there anything you would change about the modules?
9. Do you have any suggestions for improving the class?
V. Examples of student interview responses recorded after the course was complete
(“I” designates interviewer, “S” designates student)
Topic: How prepared students were to take the course
Example of a student who felt that he was not prepared to take the interdisciplinary course:
I: Do you think that you were well prepared to take the class?
S: Um, for the math section, no, cause it said for the pre requisite all you needed was
Calc I but I felt that math was, it was pretty difficult and, like it didn’t for me make sense
with the other parts of the course, it just didn’t integrate with them at all.
I: Did you feel like you were able to do the math?
S: Well after like, cause we spent like a week on it, a week or two, after that yeah I was
able to it was just, I didn’t understand it that well since it was pretty high level. So there
was a huge gap between what I’d taken and what we did in the class.
Example of a student who felt that she was well prepared to take the interdisciplinary course:
I: Now that the course it over, did you think that you were well prepared for the course?
S: Yes. I took Math 250 A and B. The other thing I really liked which also was a carryover
from 250 A and B is I liked the exposure to the statistical, the Matlab. It was interesting
to me personally and I think it’s really important. It was well done.
Topic: Students’ Definition of interdisciplinary science
Example of a students’ response that showed weak understanding:
I: In light of the course how would you now define interdisciplinary science?
S: Like science I just think of, like, it’s made up of all these other branches and it’s just
the methods that we use to like solve questions. I would not know how to define
integrated science, what do you mean by it?
S: So for your final reflection, if you were asked to define integrated science, what
would you write?
S: Maybe that it uses different fields, like to maybe explain one thing.
I: Do you have an example?
S: How physics, like, by looking at stars they can determine what chemicals they’re
made out of and chemistry can back that up, do you know what I’m saying? I can’t think
of another example.
Example of a students’ response that showed a stronger understanding:
S: I see integrated science as the ability to be functioning as a scientist in a particular
discipline and understand that there likely are pieces of other disciplines that can be
helpful to you in solving a particular problem.
S: Do you have a concrete example that you can share?
B: Well the one that is on the top of mind is…..actually the thing that I was most
effected by in the whole semester that I never thought of before was in the cave, the
visualization of the pots in the museum. So for a mathematician and a computer
scientist to come in and help an anthropologist or an archeologist re-envision their data
in a way that makes it more intuitive I thought was a really powerful example of how
people could come together. And that was actually the most effective part of the
course for me.
Also in the development of like, like certain drugs to combat certain diseases. I mean it
takes knowledge of the physiological body, some of the dynamics because of the blood
stream, um, I don’t know, thermodynamics because of the heat when the body
temperature rises and falls, um, math too I guess, um create algorithms to try and
model it on the computer and also statistics too, I guess, when you are going to get into
clinical studies like you need pretty good statistics to determine population size and try
to do all of that. And…I don’t know and course biology cause that’s what it is.